Field
Aspects of the present invention generally relate to a communication apparatus including a direct wireless communication function.
Description of the Related Art
More and more various communication apparatuses, such as personal computers (PCs), smartphones, game machines, and printing apparatuses, have been including a wireless local area network (LAN) function. These communication apparatuses wirelessly connect to an external access point and perform wireless communication with other devices via the access point. For example, a printing apparatus receives print data transmitted by a PC or a smartphone via an access point, and then performs print processing based on the received print data.
Some of the communication apparatuses themselves operate as a software access point, thereby performing direct wireless communication with other devices without a relay apparatus such as an access point. A wireless communication method of performing direct wireless communication with other devices without a relay apparatus such as an access point is referred to as a direct wireless communication mode. Specific examples of the direct wireless communication mode include Wi-Fi Direct® and an access point mode.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-179926 discusses a configuration in which a printing apparatus operates in a direct wireless communication mode (Wi-Fi Direct®), and receives print data from a mobile terminal to perform print processing. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-179926 also discusses a configuration in which the printing apparatus ends the operation of the communication apparatus in the direct wireless communication mode when the print processing completes and when the printing apparatus shifts to a power saving state.
If a user wants the communication apparatus to use the direct wireless communication mode, the user inputs an instruction to the communication apparatus to start operating in the direct wireless communication mode. The communication apparatus starts operating in the direct wireless communication mode in response to the instruction and establishes a wireless connection with other devices.
Conventional communication apparatuses automatically stop operating in the direct wireless communication mode when wireless connections are not established between the communication apparatuses and other devices for a predetermined period of time after the communication apparatuses start to operate in the direct wireless communication mode. In this way, the conventional communication apparatuses prevent an increase in power consumption when the communication apparatuses operate in the direct wireless communication mode.